Drapes rebooted: Women give the good old saree a modern twist

The saree sees a shift in the urban context as women pair their nine yards with t-shirts, sneakers.

BENGALURU: At a leadership summit recently, Soma Bolar decided to make a statement of sorts. She teamed her Jamdani saree with a black shirt. “I have always been inclined towards Western wear. But on the other hand, Indian sarees too are close to my heart. So I thought why not combine my two loves?” says Bolar, 43, a product manager with a telecom company.

The dialogue around reinventing the saree as a means of convenient fashion has witnessed a shift, especially in the past year, where women have begun to drape it over denims, team it with t-shirts or wear sneakers with it.'

The saree is seeing a new wave among urban women, according to Anaka Narayanan, founder of fashion brand Brass Tacks. “In the past one year, wearing the saree differently has gathered momentum. Women in the age bracket of 20 to 40 want the saree to be relevant in an urban context,” says Narayanan who has curated draping sessions for women in Bengaluru.

Food stylist Ambica Selvam, 37, has been teaming her sarees with denims, sneakers and churidars for her work wear. “Earlier, I would wear a saree only during special occasions. As I discovered new ways of combining it, I wear one every week now,” says Selvam.

With athleisure fashion trend picking up — where clothing designed for workouts and other athletic activities is worn in other settings — wearing a saree is evolving too, feels Bhavna Toor, 39, founder, Shenomics. “As Indian women, we want to hold on to our roots and yet evolve our clothing that suits our lifestyle,” says Toor who combines a half saree with denim and sneakers when she wants to make a style statement.

However, the key is to keep functionality in mind when experimenting with sarees in the urban context says, Veena Ashiya, founder, Monrow Shoes. “One needs to keep the movement aspect and their work surrounding in mind when wearing a saree differently,” says Ashiya, who prefers to drape her nine yards over pants.

According to Shyamala Ramanan, business head, Taneira which recently conducted The Saree Run, an event in which 130 women participated wearing sarees and sneakers, the lines between Indian and so-called Western wear are blurring. “The urban myth of women not celebrating Indian attire is being debunked as they are celebrating the saree in their own personalised way: a garment of choice, not compulsion.”